


Kiss Me, Hold Me, Keep Me Safe

by Jacie



Series: NCIS: Alpha Series [11]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Kidnapping, M/M, Physical Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-21
Updated: 2010-02-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 12:08:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie/pseuds/Jacie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gibbs and the team continue to search for Tony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss Me, Hold Me, Keep Me Safe

As the hours stretched into long days, Gibbs mostly stayed at NCIS headquarters, with only occasional trips out for coffee, food and clean clothes. It pissed him off that even with so many people dedicated to working Tony’s case, they still seemed to be spinning their wheels and going nowhere.

When night fell, he often went to the window, coffee cup in hand, looking out and wondering where Tony was, who had him and how he was handling his situation.

One morning McGee and Ziva walked in to find Gibbs asleep in Tony’s chair, hugging one of Tony’s shirts to his chest. Hearing McGee settling at his desk woke Gibbs up. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he realized he still had Tony’s shirt in his arms.

“I want the Santori brothers found today,” Gibbs growled at McGee as he stood and draped the shirt over Tony’s chair. “I want to know everything about them.”

“We’re on it, Boss.”

McGee glanced over at Tony’s chair once Gibbs returned to his desk. Tony’s empty shirt was draped over the backrest, like Tony had been sitting their wearing it and had simply disappeared. Despite all of Tony’s abuse and playfulness, McGee missed him as much as if they were brothers.

***

When he was allowed to sleep, Tony surrendered to his dreams, his thoughts usually turning to Gibbs. His hands would rub the packed dirt floor of the cellar as he imagined massaging Gibbs’ body. He hated waking up. It meant more bright lights, questioning, beatings and occasional sexual abuse. The only thing he had to look forward to were the few times he was allowed to sleep and the dream of the day Gibbs would come to free him.

As time passed by, Tony focused on memorizing the voices he heard, the faces he saw and the way his captors moved. He wanted them to pay. He relished the thought of pointing them out in court and hearing their sentences read. 

But for now, he dreamt of Gibbs. Warm lips pressed against his and he welcomed them, opening his mouth for more. More hot, wet kisses, the touch of their tongues meeting, exploring. Tony’s hands were still bound, but he felt the hands that touched his skin and held him close. His senses were teetering between sleep and wakefulness when he realized it wasn’t Gibbs who was kissing him.

In a flash, he head butted the other man, causing Ace to instantly recoil, his hands pressing against his nose. “Ouch!” he yelled as he kicked at Tony’s legs and stomach. “Roll the fuck over.”

Tony froze. He was sore from their frequent assaults and in truth, just kissing was less physically painful than being fucked again. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You startled me.”

Still holding his nose, Ace stood slowly, then checked for blood and found none. “Hands and knees, DiNozzo. Now.”

Tony managed to gather himself onto his knees, leaning his weight onto his arms, elbows to wrists on the floor. Closing his eyes, he tried not to listen as Ace dropped his jeans and spat into his hand. Tony braced for what he knew was coming next and hoped it wouldn’t last too long.

After he finished with a satisfied moan, Ace backed off and pulled up his jeans before heading toward the stairs. “I brought you a couple things. RD and Jay don’t know. Over there, underneath the stairs,” he nodded into the darkness.

“Ace? Could you bring me a blanket? Or some clothing? Please? It’s cold down here.”

“Sorry. Jay said no. You’re just going to have to enjoy the body heat when we’re down here.”

Tony sighed and nodded into the darkness, wishing he had even a jacket or a shirt. Anything. He waited until Ace had left, banging the cellar door closed, before he moved. Edging closer to the stairs he found a paper bag. It held six apples and a prescription drug bottle. The names of the doctor and patient had been marked through with black marker, but the name of the drug was still visible, even in the dim glow of the nightlight. Darvocet. 

Tony bit into one of the apples as he turned the bottle in his palm, wondering if it was better to take the drug to numb his pain, or to refuse it.

***

“I found something, Gibbs,” Ziva said. “Matthew Santori’s ATM card was just used at a convenience store.”

“I want the surveillance tapes,” Gibbs yelled. He didn’t mean for it to sound as harsh as it came out, but this was the first solid lead they’d come across in days.

“Boss, I have something, too. I think.”

“What, McGee?”

“It’s. Boss,” McGee began as he rose from his desk.

Jenny watched from above as McGee walked over to Gibbs and whispered something in his ear. She saw Gibbs’ hands clench, the anger rippling through his body.

“Ziva, you’re with me and McGee,” Gibbs yelled, as he grabbed his gun and headed to the elevator, McGee at his heels. “Call Fornell and give him the information on the convenience store. We’ve got our own issues to deal with.”

***

This time Tony was awakened by the bright lights snapping on. It wasn’t long before RD grabbed his arm, moving him toward one of the support beams.

Jay grabbed the chair before RD had a chance. He set it before Tony and sat down. Cupping Tony’s chin, Jay lifted his head and noticed how Tony’s eyes seemed to glaze over. 

“What’s the matter with this boy?” Jay asked.

“Maybe we’ve finally broken him,” RD suggested.

“I doubt that. He seems out of it. Drugged. You with me here, Agent DiNozzo?”

“Yeah,” Tony replied weakly as he leaned against the post for support.

“What did you take? What are you on?”

“Darvocet.”

“Darvocet? Where the hell did he get Darvocet?”

“It wasn’t me, Jay.”

“Get the kid down here! Now!”

A couple minutes later RD returned with Ace following behind him.

“Jay, I know. I shouldn’t have. But he seems to be hurting. And he’s cold. I felt sorry for him.”

“How many did you give him? He can barely keep his eyes open!”

“I left him the bottle. From upstairs,” Ace said, his voice shaking.

“The whole fucking bottle? Find it! I want to know how many he took.”

Ace headed to the spot where he’d left the apples and the bottle, mumbling, “You could just ask him.”

Turning back toward Tony, Jay lifted his head again. “How many pills did you take?”

“Two. Only two.”

A moment later, Ace held up the bottle he had found and shook it. The remaining pills rattled loosely in the bottle.

“I don’t want him self-medicating,” Jay said. “Did it occur to you that he might down the whole bottle trying to OD himself?”

Ace hung his head. “No. I just wanted to take away some of the pain. That’s all.”

“Keep them out of his reach.”

“Sure, Jay. I’m sorry.”

Returning his attention to Tony, Jay petted the back of his hair. “Since you’re in no shape to be answering questions, maybe we can have a little bit of fun instead.”

“He’s a damn good fuck,” Ace offered enthusiastically.

“Butt fucking just doesn’t appeal to me,” Jay said as he stood up. “RD, get him up on his knees. Strap his ankles together behind the post. Use the strap around his waist as well. I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

Tony lifted his head and drowsily watched Jay heading back up the steps.

“Ace, come here and hold him up,” ordered RD as he fastened zip ties around each of Tony’s ankles. 

Once he had Tony in position, RD threaded a third tie, connecting the other two behind the post. With the larger strap binding his chest to the post, Tony was forced to remain up on his knees.

It wasn’t long before Jay returned, his hunting knife in his hand. Stepping in front of Tony, he dropped his jeans and boxers, allowing them to pool at his ankles as he took a seat in the chair.

“Today you’re going to give me the best blow job you’ve got in you. If I feel your teeth at any time, this knife is going to be your reminder not to use your teeth on me. I feel your teeth, you feel my knife.”

Jay’s cock was close enough to bump Tony’s cheek when Jay began pumping it. “Open up, boy, I’m more than ready.”

Instead of taking the cock into his mouth, Tony turned his head, avoiding contact. A moment later, he felt the knife plunge into his body just below his rib cage. He gasped and began to struggle, but that only made it worse. Taking a deep breath, Tony fought to still his body until the knife blade was removed.

“Do I need to remind you that this is not optional?” Jay said sternly.

Moving closer. Jay pinched Tony’s nose closed with his fingers until Tony was forced to open his mouth to breathe. The moment Tony’s mouth was opened, Jay forced his cock inside. Tony struggled with his gag reflex as Jay’s cock hit the back of his throat. Tony felt his teeth softly scraping the skin and closed his eyes tightly as he opened his throat and sucked against the cock.

Jay allowed the tip of the blade to trail along Tony’s skin, leaving the barest whisper of a cut behind, as a reminder.

Knowing he had no choice, Tony set about finishing Jay off as quickly as possible, just wanting this to be over. The Darvocet made him sloppy. He felt woozy and dry-mouthed. It didn’t make his task any easier to accomplish and left him struggling.

Jay ran his fingers through Tony’s hair, occasionally grasping a handful and holding Tony’s head still as he forced his cock in deeper. The sucking sensation he felt was pure heaven. He didn’t care how long it took as long as Tony made him come in the end.

***

Leaving the elevator, McGee, Ziva and Gibbs headed down the hallway toward the file room.

“Who is our target?” Ziva whispered.

“Sheila Yancy,” confirmed McGee.

Ziva nodded, knowing this was not the time for a long discussion about why they were after Sheila. For now, she only needed to know who.

“Ziva, make sure the back exit is blocked. McGee, you cover the fire door. I’ll watch the main entrance. And Ziva, we need her alive.”

“Why do you always say that to me?”

“Because you were trained to go for the head and the heart. If you have to shoot Sheila, please try to hit an arm or a leg.”

“I will keep that in mind,” she promised.

Gibbs waited for his team to get into position before he entered the file room. “Sheila Yancy?” he shouted.

The file room clerks looked up at him, then began staring amongst themselves.

“Where is Sheila Yancy?” Gibbs asked again.

A couple of clerks pointed to a mousey brunette. Gibbs motioned for her to come forward. He waited until she was close to him before speaking. Ziva and McGee quietly closed in behind her, their weapons drawn.

Gibbs looked at her coldly as he grasped her arm. “You can set those files down. You won’t be needing them.”

Sheila licked her lips and nodded as she placed the stack of folders she was carrying onto a nearby desk.

Gibbs brought her hands behind her back and cuffed her. “I have a few questions for you.”

He led the way out of the file room as McGee and Ziva holstered their guns and followed him back to the elevator.

As the four were heading toward an interrogation room, Gibbs’ cell phone rang. He nodded to McGee to take hold of Sheila as he flipped his phone open.

“Gibbs. Yeah, Fornell. Good job. Bring them here. I’d like to interrogate them.”

“They found the Santori brothers?” Ziva asked.

“Oh, yeah. And they’re bringing them here for questioning. McGee, get her settled into room one. I’ll be there as soon as I refill my coffee. I have a feeling I’ll need it for this one.”

***

After Jay zipped up his pants and left, RD wasted no time in taking the chair. “Come on, DiNozzo, time for round two.”

“I’m so dizzy. The wound. I’m bleeding.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“He stabbed me. It’s bleeding.”

By adjusting one of the lights downward and dimming it a bit, Ace was able to get a good look at the wound. “It is bleeding pretty badly, RD. I’ll go up and get some bandages and stuff.”

“Yeah, you do that. We’ll wait here,” RD joked as he grabbed a handful of Tony’s hair, holding his head steady as he pushed his cock toward DiNozzo’s lips. “Let’s see who’s faster, you getting me to come or Ace bringing back some bandages.”

Tony closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He wasn’t sure he could take another stab wound, even though he told himself it probably felt worse that it actually was. This time he used his hands, doing anything he could to get RD off so he could take a break and rest. At least he succeeded in finishing before Ace returned.

RD leaned back in the chair and smiled when Ace returned. “He ain’t half bad at blow jobs either. You should give him a try.”

“Yeah, I just want to patch him up first. I don’t want him dying on us.”

As he stood up, RD stretched his arms, then headed toward the stairs. “I just had a great thought for an addition to Agent DiNozzo’s living space. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Ace carefully washed the wound, disappointed that it still bled. “I’m going to hold this cloth on there for a while. Direct pressure. They say that direct pressure is the best thing to stop bleeding. Try to relax. Don’t think about it.”

Tony nodded even though he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He kept his eyes closed and wished for sleep to claim him as he felt Ace press against the wound just below his ribcage. The pressure was uncomfortable, but he knew it would be necessary to stop the bleeding.

“How long are you going to keep me alive?”

“Agent DiNozzo, how many times do I have to tell you? We’re not killers.”

“I’ve seen you all. I can identify you all. You have to kill me. You don’t have a choice. Maybe Jay is telling you that they won’t kill me, but he’s smart. He knows it’s the only way.”

“He’s never once mentioned anything like that,” Ace tried assuring Tony as he checked to see if the bleeding was slowing at all.

Tony suddenly opened his eyes and stared into Ace’s. “He’s never talked about letting me go, either. Has he?”

“Well, no.”

“Because he has to kill me,” Tony whispered as he eyed the stairs. “Unless you let me go. When they’re gone or sleeping, you could let me go.”

“I can’t do that.”

“It’s the only way I’m going to make it out of here alive. Don’t you understand that? If they set me free, you are all going to be caught because I can identify you.”

“You don’t even know our names.”

“I know your faces. I know your voices. I’m willing to bet you all have some sort of public record out there. I am a trained detective. Once I talk to a sketch artist and start going through mug books, I am going to find you guys. I will be able to pick you out.”

“But you don’t have to. You can say you never saw our faces.”

“Yeah? You think my boss is going to buy that? I am in law enforcement. Putting the bad guys away is what I do. And oh yeah, what about the fact that you should all pay for your crimes? What about you all kidnapping me and torturing me? Why would I want to forget about that?”

“Because we could kill you, but we won’t.”

“I just told you why they have to kill me. Maybe it won’t be by one of you. We both know this group you’re working with is far larger than the three of you. Someone in that organization already has orders to kill me. Maybe you don’t see it. Maybe Jay doesn’t know when. But one day, some guy from the group is going to come here. He’s going to come down here and end my life. It has to happen that way, because I can bring this whole thing crashing down by identifying any one of you. They can’t take that risk. They won’t take that risk.”

Ace began applying antibiotic around the wound and covering it with gauze. “Jay says we have orders to let you go, then we have orders to let you go,” he said as he began applying strips of white first aid tape to hold the gauze in place.

“Just think about it, okay? If you let me go, I will make sure you get a deal. Like probation. No jail time. How does that sound?”

“Ah, Agent DiNozzo. Sounds like you are getting sweet on me. What else is in the offer? Can I come live with you? I mean, I don’t have a job or income other than this so if I turn stoolie I am going to need a place to stay.”

“Family? Surely you have family?”

“Nice try, Tony. But Jay said to never mention any personal stuff in front of you,” said Ace as he took a seat in the chair in front of Tony and cupped his chin. “Let’s test that bandage with one more blow job. After that, I’ll get you something to eat. How does that sound, Sweetie?”

***

Gibbs entered the interrogation room, coffee in hand. Taking his seat across from Sheila, he fixed his stare on her, watching, waiting for any response. Ziva and McGee were in the observation room watching.

“Who is she?” Ziva asked.

McGee was about to answer when Sheila spoke. “Why am I here, Agent Gibbs?”

“I think you know.”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Why? Why would you turn on this agency like you did?”

“Turn on the agency? Agent Gibbs, I think you have this all wrong. I’m just a file clerk. I haven’t done anything to compromise NCIS.”

Gibbs studied her, his eyes fixed on hers. “Where is Agent DiNozzo?”

“How should I know?”

Gibbs rose from his seat so fast, the chair was knocked to the floor as his hands pounded onto the table causing Sheila to jump. “We know your brothers had a hand in his disappearance.” Taking a photo out of the folder he’d brought with him, Gibbs tossed it down in front of her. His finger stabbed at the photo. “That’s your brother Joseph driving the suspect van.”

Sheila’s tears began rolling down her cheeks. “I know my brothers have been tied up in some bad things, but that has nothing to do with me. I just can’t believe they were involved in this.”

Slamming his hands down against the tabletop caused Sheila to jump again. “Well, you’d better believe it, lady. And I believe you were involved, too. I will find out how and to what extent. Your career is over,” Gibbs said as he headed toward the door. With the door standing half open, he paused and turned back to her for a moment. “Did I forget to mention that the FBI has captured your brothers and are bringing them here for questioning? You sit tight and think about things. I’ll get back to you later.”

“The Santori brothers are her brothers?” Ziva asked.

“Yeah. Before she was Sheila Yancy, she was Sheila Santori.”

“Do you really think she is involved in this?”

McGee remained quietly thoughtful for a moment, studying Sheila before he nodded his head and answered. “Yeah, I think she had something to do with this.”

***

Tony listened to the sounds from above him. They had left the cellar door opened, which allowed a cool breeze of fresh air to filter down to him, as well as the sounds of sawing and hammering. He thought of Gibbs working on his boat in his basement and did his best to hold onto that image.

It worked until he heard Ace coming down the steps with his lunch. “I know you’re tired of bologna and peanut butter. I asked them to get some salami. That’s Italian, right?”

Tony stared at Ace. Did Ace really think it mattered to Tony that he’d gotten him salami for lunch? For all Tony knew, this could be his last meal.

“There’s some mayo, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes on there. I got you some chips, too. Carrot sticks. Apple. Go ahead and eat.”

“Thanks, Ace,” Tony said as he reached for the sandwich. It still wasn’t all that easy to eat with his hands bound together at the wrists, but he’d learned to manage it. “So when’s the big job going down?”

“You know I can’t talk about that.”

“I’m not asking for details. Just the time. I want to know how much longer I have to live.”

“Tony, I keep telling you. They’re going to let you go. I promise.”

“And I told you why they can’t,” Tony said as he took another bite of the sandwich.

Reaching forward, Ace patted Tony’s thigh. “Just hold on a little longer. You’ll see.”

“Yeah? What was that shovel for? Do I get to dig my own grave or are one of you going to do it?”

“We burn our trash here. If the fire starts getting too big, we shovel some dirt onto it. That’s all.”

Before Tony finished his lunch, he heard RD yelling from the yard, “Hey Ace! Are you ready to give me a hand with this?”

“Yeah, I’ll be right up!” Ace hollered back. He rubbed Tony’s shoulder before rising to his feet. “RD made you a new toy. I hope you enjoy it.”

Tony felt the food churn in his stomach. He wanted to turn his head when the pair began bringing something down the steps, but he couldn’t. It was wooden. Sort of a saw horse. Tony couldn’t grasp what they were planning to use it for. He continued watching them as he slowly finished his lunch.

“I made it for you,” RD said. Tony could hear the pride in the man’s voice.

Tony looked at the sawhorse. It had been reinforced halfway down the legs. It appeared solid. Good construction. Level. The oddity that stuck out was the pillow strapped to the center beam. More than strapped to it, more like wrapped around it, then held in place with straps and duct tape. It almost looked like a saddle for the sawhorse. 

“Done with lunch?” asked RD. “I’m more than ready to show you what this is for. I think you’re going to enjoy it as much as we are.”

Just hearing those words caused Tony’s stomach to churn again. If it was something they’d like, he was pretty certain he would hate it. If it was something they’d like, it was something they could use to screw him again. Tony just wanted to be left alone so he could sleep.

“Come on, Tony. It’ll warm you up. I promise,” offered Ace.

Tony knew he didn’t have a choice, so he stood up, allowing them to lead him over to the sawhorse. Once he stood beside it, it didn’t take long for him to figure it out. RD had fastened dog leash clips to the sawhorses legs. After forcing Tony to spread his legs apart, RD clipped his ankle straps to the sawhorse. 

A moment later RD was on the other side of the sawhorse, pulling Tony forward by his wrists. Once Tony felt the pillow against his stomach, RD pulled his wrists downward, clipping them to the support beam. 

“That is a beautiful thing,” Ace said, complimenting RD’s work.

“He is a good fuck, but I’m tired of being on my knees in this cellar. Maybe our boy is, too,” RD laughed as he dropped his pants and slapped Tony’s butt cheek hard enough to leave a red mark. “I promise you this is going to be a lot easier on my back and legs.”

***

Gibb and Fornell stood close in the hallway, whispering about tactics before interviewing the Santori brothers. “They’re the key to this,” Gibbs shared. “It has to have something to do with the Barrett case. And finding out that their sister is a file clerk here? They had to be getting something there. Information.”

“She’s a file clerk, Gibbs. What would she know?”

“All work places have scuttlebutt going around. Water cooler gossip. It’s not necessarily what was in the files, but maybe what she heard around the building. She could have been gathering information on what we were working on. Surely she could have found out that my team had the lead on the Barrett case.”

“But what’s the tie there? The case has already gone to trial. The players are in jail.”

“Not all the players, Fornell.” Gibbs pointed at the closed door of interrogation room two. Matthew Santori got off free and clear. We had a case against him, but his brother and his friends gave Matthew an alibi. His attorney used that as reasonable doubt. I know the kid’s dirty, but we couldn’t break the alibi.”

“But what does any of this have to do with DiNozzo?”

“I’m not sure. All I know is those two were in the suspect vehicle when DiNozzo was taken. They are involved. We have to break them.”

Fornell nodded and sipped his coffee. He held his arm out, gesturing for Gibbs to enter the room first. “Let’s do it.”

Gibbs tossed the photo of the van down on the table as Fornell shut the door. Gibbs stabbed at the driver’s face with his index finger. “We’ve got you.”

“That?” scoffed Matthew Santori. “That could be anybody.”

“That is your brother Joseph, confirmed by a computer. This behind him, is you.”

“It’s a fuzzy image. Could be anybody. We don’t even have a van. Don’t know where you’re going with this, but it’s not us. You got nothing.”

Gibbs walked around the table, behind Matthew and Joseph. “You’ve got our agent. We’ve got your sister.” Leaning in close between the two men, Gibbs continued. “She fed you information about NCIS cases. You grabbed Special Agent DiNozzo. We want him back.”

“Agent who?” Matthew giggled and leaned back. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Agent Gibbs.”

“Right now, we have your sister for conspiracy. That means when this goes down, she goes down for everything involved. If DiNozzo is killed, she’s going down for murder along with everyone else involved.”

Matthew leaned forward, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. “We haven’t done anything. We’re not involved in anything.”

“Where is Agent DiNozzo?”

“I don’t know where he is.”

“What are you guys up to? What’s going down?”

“Nothing. Nothing. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“I’ll tell you one thing,” Gibbs said, his voice low as he whispered close to Matthew’s ear. “You’re not involved any more.”

“You can’t hold us here. You’ve got nothing.”

“I have your brother driving a stolen van. The one that was used to kidnap a Federal Agent. That’s more than enough to hold you. And even if we did decide to let you walk, do you really think I wouldn’t have a tail on you twenty-four seven?”

Fornell stepped forward. “What do you have to say, Joseph? Are you going to let your sister take a fall for you?”

Joseph glanced over to his brother, then back at Fornell. “I got nothing to say.”

“I’ll tell you boys what. I’m going to give you a little time to stew on this. If you decide you want to talk, maybe we’ll deal with you. I want Agent DiNozzo back alive. I’m guessing your sister doesn’t really want to do time in a Federal jail. You think about it.”

Gibbs left first, Fornell lingering for a moment, searching Joseph’s face, then Matthew’s eyes before heading into the hallway. “They’re guilty as hell, Gibbs.”

“I know.”

“I can’t say what they’re guilty of, but they’re betting on being able to play the system.”

“Yeah, just like they did on the Barrett case. But this time, they’re not getting out of it. I don’t give a damn how many people they drag to court giving those two fake alibis, I’m going to break them or someone else on this case. I’m going to take everyone down on this one. Everyone.”

“You have to find them first, Gibbs.”

***

Tony had drifted into an uncomfortable sleep when he heard the door open. It was obviously dark out. The footsteps were too heavy to be Ace’s. Tony blinked his eyes in the darkness and watched as the figure walked over to the chair and turned it to face him. Watching carefully, he could tell it was Jay. As Tony sat up Jay tipped back a bottle, drinking from it before offering it to Tony.

Tony took a small sip at first, then a larger one when he realized it was Jack Daniels. 

Jay reached out for the bottle again. “You’re smart, Agent DiNozzo. I’ll give you that.”

Tony held his breath as he watched Jay take another swig of Jack and hand the bottle back to him.

“I know you watch us. I know you’re making mental notes of everything you can. You found the weak spot and pushed.”

“What weak spot?” Tony asked softly as he handed the bottle back.

“Ace. Oh, he’s a good kid, but he’s green. Inexperienced. He told me what you said to him. That you asked him to let you go. He thought it was kind of funny, actually.”

“And you think I’m wrong to want to get away from this little piece of heaven you’ve provided for me? Yeah, I would do whatever I could to get free. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same if you were in my shoes.”

“He’s not going to let you go, DiNozzo.”

“Did you tell him you’re going to kill me? Your job must be coming up soon. I’m just a liability to you now. Is that what you came down here for?”

“To kill you? No. Wouldn’t be prudent at this time. You still have value.”

“Yeah? For what? NCIS is not going to deal with you. They’re not going to negotiate or pay a ransom.”

Jay chuckled lowly and drank from the bottle once more before setting it at his feet. “You may still be useful.”

“For what? I can ID you guys. We both know that.”

“True.”

“So you can’t let me go.”

“Also true.”

“Then what good am I to you?”

“There’s always a possibility of getting caught.”

Tony thought about Jay’s words and nodded. “If something goes wrong with this job you’re pulling and you get caught, then it won’t matter if I can ID you.”

“True.”

“It will only matter that if you’re caught, you can cut a deal by telling them where to find me.”

Jay waggled his finger at Tony, “Bingo! I knew you were smart.”

“So that’s what it comes down to. If the job goes as planned, I’m a dead man, but if you get caught I’m your ace in the hole, so to speak.”

“Something like that. Now, why don’t you come a little closer,” suggested Jay as he rubbed his cock through his jeans.

***

It was after noon the next day when the call came in. Fornell headed to the scene first, called in by the local cops. The moment he saw the evidence, he called Gibbs.

“Gibbs, get out here now. Bring your team. Your entire team.”

“What did you find?”

“There’s no time to lose, Jethro. Get out here. I’ll show you what was found.”

“We’re on the way.” 

Gibbs was already heading toward the elevator when he flipped his phone closed. “Gear up! Let’s roll!”

Gibbs took the wheel as they headed out of the lot. “McGee, call Ducky and get him rolling.”

“What did they find?”

“I don’t know. Fornell just said to get the team out there ASAP. He said the entire team. He meant Ducky, too.”

“Did they find a body?” Ziva asked.

Without answering, Gibbs pushed the accelerator down even harder. McGee kept an eye on the GPS, calling out directions. Gibbs barely slowed down once they hit the gravel road, not until they saw the yellow police tape up. Gibbs immediately searched for Fornell. Not that he needed to. The NCIS truck was hard to miss, especially when it was barreling down a country road, leaving a wake of dust in its path. It wasn’t long before Fornell was headed toward them.

“Follow me, Gibbs,” he said, motioning with his hand.

Gibbs followed, his eyes searching through the nearby faces. Some were local cops, some were FBI and some appeared to be college kids. “What’s their story? They find the evidence?” Gibbs asked as he nodded toward them.

“Yeah. There’s a state park that runs behind some of these farms. Those kids were out hiking on a trail that runs across one of the farms, with permission from the owner of course. The trail comes across this road then picks up again a little ways down.”

“What did they find, Tobias?”

“Here.” Fornell pointed to a tattered jacket.

Gibbs pulled on a pair of gloves and reached for it. “Is it Tony’s?”

“You tell me.”

“It’s the right size.”

McGee pushed closer. “That’s a lot of blood. It’s cut up. Like someone was in a knife fight.”

Gibbs carefully inspected the jacket. “I don’t think so.”

Ziva saw it, too. “The cuts do not appear to correlate to the blood marks. It looks like someone purposely cut the jacket, then wiped blood onto it.”

“Exactly,” Gibbs agreed. “And most of the blood seems to be wiped on the outside of the jacket, while most of the cuts are to the lining on the inside.”

“The kids saw the jacket with the blood and the cuts and called nine-one-one,” Fornell added.

“It’s not fresh,” Gibbs pointed out.

“They’re kids, Jethro. What do they know? They got scared. Thought Jason was going to come after them with a chainsaw.”

“They find anything else?”

“Not the kids. The local LEOs found some shoes. This way.” Fornell led the way down the road to where a pair of shoes were laying abandoned a few feet apart. 

“They’re scuffed. Like they were dragged over the rocks,” Gibbs noticed as he bent down over the first one.

Fornell squatted beside him, pointing to the shoe. “Read the sole.”

Gibbs shifted his position until he could read what appeared to be letters and numbers scratched into the shoe’s sole and heel. “'Help! Call nine-one-one'. You think this is Tony’s?”

“Come over here and read this one.”

Gibbs followed Fornell to the other shoe and knelt down to read the letters carved into the sole. “'Gibbs', 'NCIS',” he read softly.

“And yes, I do think that those are Tony’s shoes. The LEOs found it and called the FBI since it referred to a Federal Agency.”

Gibbs rose quickly to his feet. “Spread out. Search for anything else. Anything Tony may have left.”

McGee paused and looked at Gibbs.

“What, McGee? We have an agent to find!”

“I was just thinking. Breadcrumbs.”

“Breadcrumbs?”

“Mary said he’d leave breadcrumbs for you to find. Out in the country, away from the city. Found by someone not in law enforcement.”

Gibbs froze in his steps for a moment, remembering their conversation with the psychic, then quickly snapped himself out of it. “We still have to find him, McGee.”

By this time a canine unit had arrived along with another NCIS team and a handful of FBI agents. “We are going to find him,” Fornell promised.

“My team’s going that way,” Gibbs pointed.

“Why’s that?” asked Fornell.

“Gut feeling. Have the teams spread out. He’s got to be nearby. He’s got to be off this road.”

“Unless they've moved him.”

Gibbs stopped mid-stride and turned back to Fornell. “Weren’t you the guy who said only a minute ago that we’re going to find him?”

“We will.”

Gibbs rolled his eyes, then jogged down the road to catch up with Ziva and McGee.

“Should we look for anything in particular?” asked Ziva as she peered through the foliage beside the road.

“He left his jacket and his shoes. What else would he have?”

“Necktie?” suggested McGee.

“Necktie. Belt. Shirt. Possibly an undershirt. Keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t belong.”

Ziva picked up a rusted can from the ditch. “This does not belong, but it does not say Tony was here, either.”

“Keep looking.”

The search dragged on slowly, with Gibbs insisting that each team check at least twenty feet from the road. “Tony could have thrown something. He could have been in the woods. Search everything.”

It was almost a fluke when Gibbs spotted it. He had glanced to the sky to stretch his neck muscles when he saw it dangling. “Necktie,” he said simply as he watched it waver slightly in the breeze.

“Boss?” asked McGee.

Gibbs pointed up at the tree branch. “Necktie. It has to be Tony’s.”

“Why would he put it so high? What’s the point? He couldn’t have done it when his captors were around. He escaped. Just like Mary said.”

“Then he was being chased. Why waste time putting the tie up in a branch?”

“So the bad guys wouldn’t see it?” offered McGee.

“It must be a sign,” said Ziva.

“Not a sign, a marker,” Gibbs said as he stood below the tie and stared out from that point, slowly shifting his line of vision. “It’s marking something visible from here.”

“Boss!” McGee yelled excitedly as he bounded through the brush.

Gibbs and Ziva were right behind him. “What is it?”

McGee stopped in front of a tree as the others came close. Fornell was only moments behind them. “It’s Tony’s belt. Remember? The knife is part of the belt buckle.”

Gibbs stepped closer to inspect it. The knife had been pounded into the tree, leaving the belt to hang freely. Gibbs rested his hand on the bark, feeling its texture as he inspected the knife. “He used his shoe to hammer this in. The one shoe had a battered heel.”

Fornell moved beside Gibbs. “But why bother? Why not just tie it with the belt? Why not leave it in the road like the shoes? Or toss it in the ditch like the jacket.”

Gibbs moved around the tree until he was lined up with the blade. “It’s a marker with a message. He came from that direction.” Gibbs pointed, following the direction of the knife blade.

“You don’t think he came down the road?”

McGee stepped in. “Not at first. Most of these houses are a ways down the side roads. They have privacy. If he was escaping, he would have had a better chance going through the woods first. He’d be harder to track than if he went down the road.”

Gibbs nodded. “He stumbled onto the road here. How close is that state park?”

“Should be right behind the houses on this road,” offered Fornell.

“Then we need to check the houses on this road. Split the teams up Fornell. It could be on either side. Consider these guys armed and dangerous.” Gibbs’ hand settled on the butt of his gun in its holster, flipping the snap open.

Gibbs waved his team forward as Fornell gathered the remaining teams together. A quick radio call brought everyone to the meeting spot awaiting Fornell’s orders.

As he split the teams, he nodded to a couple of his agents. “Gibbs went on ahead. Catch up to him and back him up. I’m right behind you.”

***

There were times Tony wasn’t certain he could take much more, but then he would focus on one thing, Gibbs. As he sat alone in the darkness, Gibbs was his strength.

Tony sat in the cellar, hugging his legs tightly as he rocked slowly back and forth. “I can’t hold on much longer, Jethro,” he confessed quietly. “Please find me. I just want you to hold me again. I want you to kiss me again. Please, Jethro. Kiss me, hold me, keep me safe.” Tony repeated the chant as he drifted into unconsciousness.

 

~~~END~~~  
February 21, 2010


End file.
